What's the transition like to bass from guitar?

SquireJapan · June 2015

"It's only got four strings!" ... but yeah, different instrument with a very different role to play.

I fancy joining a nice easy band to play in, but nobody would want my lack of guitar talent - bass seems like I could get in there gigging without too much overhead.

Am I deluded? What's the transition like, and where do I start?

koneguitarist · June 2015

I think a lot of guitarists try to play lead on bass rather than hold down the bottom end and lock in with drummer.

Listen to the bass drum, and think of the notes, for instance a G to D to C, quite often a guitarist playing Bass will play those notes, but a Bassist will play G F# then C.

Great fun and it will improve your guitar playing.

mart · June 2015

It's probably not hard if you start off as a rhythm guitarist - good bass playing has a lot in common with good rhythm guitar playing, but much less in common with lead.

guitarfishbay · June 2015

Your timing has to be very tight, and you have to lock in with the drummer. But technically a lot of standard rock bass playing is easier as it is often just root notes or doubling the guitar but only one string at a time.

Mastering bass is as difficult as mastering guitar IMHO, but if you're going to join a simple basines kind of band it is totally doable with not too much transition time.

Phil_aka_Pip · June 2015

You should be able to find your way around an electric bass without too much trouble.

What others have said about timing is crucial.

You might start by playing roots but don't limit it to that. Play arpeggios, or join roots up with scale fragments. Counterpoint the melody and don't be afraid to play a chord tone which isn't a root in pursuit of that - the 3rd of a chord and be quite effective.

Watch your technique. Playing bass is physically demanding, and can be the cause (or in my case the trigger for the recurrence) of RSI.

EDIT

@Koneguitarist is right - to a point - it will not only improve your guitar playing but it will enhance your enjoyment of music and make yo a better musician.

frankus · June 2015

I remember watching @Phil_aka_Pip at one of the Suffolk gatherings, room full of guitarists trying to jam and he laid down a good clear solid bassline and controlled the whole thing in a good way.

I personally think the transition from guitar to bass comes when you fear to venture beyond the 5th fret or onto the G string. Your time is spent making the right clunks and clicks, removing the others, shaping the note and spending a lot of time listening to the music you're in.

And 4 strings are easily enough, your job is to groove 8)

SquireJapan · June 2015

Thanks guys - all good feedback.

Some practicalities ...

1. Fingers or plectrum? Fingers looks cooler, but I'm not sure where to start

2. What about an amp? Can I just DI? Should I buy a DI box (can I use a compressor ... etc)

I own a squire P bass that I'd put active duncans in years ago. I learnt a few bassline riffs (Higher Ground and Fire etc), but haven't really touched it. It still has the original strings ... from the 90s.

Thanks!

Phil_aka_Pip · June 2015

SquireJapan said:

Thanks guys - all good feedback.

Some practicalities ...

1. Fingers or plectrum? Fingers looks cooler, but I'm not sure where to start
2. What about an amp? Can I just DI? Should I buy a DI box (can I use a compressor ... etc)

I own a squire P bass that I'd put active duncans in years ago. I learnt a few bassline riffs (Higher Ground and Fire etc), but haven't really touched it. It still has the original strings ... from the 90s.

Thanks!

1. Both. See what suits you best, but be willing to try the other in pursuit of the "right" tone quality
2. bass can be DI'd but IMO that per se puts extra demands on your FoH and monitoring. Playing small gigs off the backline is fine

@frankus thank you for those kind words

I rather like the 5th string because in the 5th position you can find on it the notes that you would otherwise have to go to the 1st position on the [edited] 4th string to get - and in the 5th position the frets are closer together

hobbio · June 2015

I personally find it much easier to stay in time with a pick but I prefer the tone of fingers 90% of the time. I've been trying to learn how to write and play walking basslines, the theory behind it is simple but translating it to the cables on the bass is harder.

Phil_aka_Pip · June 2015

strings: Picato flatwound
pick: Dunlop Jazz-III
instrument: Yamaha RBX375
amplifier: Selmer Treble'n'Bass 50SV
cab: Rokk 1x15 or Marshall 4x15 (with 2 drivers replaced on new baffle with 10" Celestion BG80s)

btw I like fingers, but playing bass rips my nails, which I need for fingerstyle guitar

guitarfishbay · June 2015

SquireJapan said:

Thanks guys - all good feedback.

Some practicalities ...

1. Fingers or plectrum? Fingers looks cooler, but I'm not sure where to start
2. What about an amp? Can I just DI? Should I buy a DI box (can I use a compressor ... etc)

I own a squire P bass that I'd put active duncans in years ago. I learnt a few bassline riffs (Higher Ground and Fire etc), but haven't really touched it. It still has the original strings ... from the 90s.

Thanks!

Fingers or plectrum depends on the song. You can get away with totally pick playing for most rock styles. Finger style is deceptive - at low speed you'll be able to do it without much practice, high speed takes a lot of practice, but fingering evenly for tone and volume at any speed is a skill that takes time to develop. Much easier to play evenly with a pick to start out IMO.

DI is fine if the PA can do the heavy lifting but I still think it is a better choice to get an amp and cab anyway. If you're looking to join a band that practice in a rehearsal room my experience is most rehearsal rooms won't let you put the bass through the PA as most of the time there's not the headroom for it. The good news is bass cabs are cheap S/H, especially if you're willing to lift something heavier. Designs seem to have become lighter over time - in fact bass gear is light years ahead of guitar for choice in the lightweight segment.

Clarky · June 2015

technique wise it's not a prob.. of course everything is bigger and further apart so it's like running in wellies..

the tougher and more important part of the transition is playing and thinking like a bassist.. cos it ain't the same as being a guitarist with more low notes... also.. as a bassist, your relationship with what the drummer plays is far closer.. a good bassist really listens to the drums and creates parts that work with and compliment them.. and likewise, a good drummer should be listening to and complimenting the bass.. it's a strange kinda telepathy they have going on... but when it happens it really makes a difference to just having a bassist and drummer that are playing at the same time.. hmm.. not sure I'm explaining this well...

koneguitarist · June 2015

It's the thinking like a bassist that takes the time.

There was a band on before us at a recent gig, where the bassist was the typical "I really want to be the lead guitarist", and he made it hard work for his drummer to lock in. which is what @clarky is on about, if you have a bass and drummer that work as one, it is a joy. As the guitarist you can stop playing and it still works. My bassist and drummer are father and son, and at times they do something with a few kicks and the groove just rumbles along and I am left literally grinning as I am playing.

Did a gig a year or two ago where I covered for our bassist who was away and the other guitarist who is so much better than me covered my parts, it felt awful, and we all agreed let's not do it again. The notes and songs were ok, but it "felt" all wrong.

That's when you know your rhythm section is what makes the band.

Learn to play bass by all means, but don't think of it as a temp job till you are back on guitar, BE the bassist!

Clarky · June 2015

for starters… as a bassist… zero in on the kick drum..

when a bass note and kick sound together there's real strength and cohesion

SquireJapan · June 2015

You chaps really are selling this - quite keen to get started now.

Any other tips?

chrispy108 · June 2015

Defo agree with all the stuff about locking it in and keeping it simple, but don't be totally constrained, you can still play things other than root notes, you just need to pick your moments.

I love playing high power chords on a bass, particularly totally clean with a bit of chorus. I personally like compression, some dirt and alot of EQ (Personally - Low end rolled off, low-mids raised, highs cut - I don't want 'rumble' or 'click', I want the stuff in between)

monquixote · June 2015

Playing bass is easy.

Not playing bass like a guitarist is hard.

Clarky · June 2015

Bass guitar comment from Dave Pensado [not exactly word for word but this is kinda how I remember it]:

the bass guitar only needs 1 string.. the lowest one..

anything higher than that is guitar territory and should be forbidden to bassists

EricTheWeary · June 2015

Clarky said:

Bass guitar comment from Dave Pensado [not exactly word for word but this is kinda how I remember it]:

the bass guitar only needs 1 string.. the lowest one..
anything higher than that is guitar territory and should be forbidden to bassists

I always love the Guy Pratt story about tracking down Aston Barrett ( as in Bob Marley and the Wailers) for a lesson in reggae bass. Guy paid him the huge fee ( I don't know how accurately I'm remembering this but you get the gist) and sat down opposite Aston. Now, Aston had a reputation as a hard and difficult man and not to be messed with. So, he took Guy's money, stated 'nothing above the fifth fret' and walked out the room.

Bruce Thomas ( the rather excellent bassist behind Elvis Costello in the Attractions) said he learned by getting the rhythms from great bass lines - in particular soul and Motown. He wouldn't worry about getting the notes unless he was learning the song for the band, just try to get the feel, work out where the bass pushed and pulled. Being able to get a groove generally goes a longer way than playing a lot of notes. Jaco Pastorius played his dues in RnB bands so being tight with the drums became second nature. Phil Lynott could certainly groove - you don't have to be a flat boom boom boom boom bassist in rock. From interviews I've read even some of the most widdly bassists like Jonas Helborg or Billy Sheehan would echo all the advice on here about learning to lock in with the drums,etc.

koneguitarist · June 2015

I learned to play bass on June 2nd 1981.

Precise time about 6pm, just about to do a gig in Newport South Wales, when bassist turned up and said, sorry can't make it tonight got tickets to see XTC in Cardiff Top rank, when I asked who's gonna play bass he said I can! Said I had stood beside him on stage enough that I must have picked something up.

Gave me a 5 minute lesson on root and fifth for country and a walking bass line and where to start it and that was it.

Did my first bass gig that night. Took me years to get what it was all about though!

ThePrettyDamned · June 2015

Dynamics are key - you can cheat and use a squishy compressor, but really you need to practice without so if you do have a comp you don't lose the attack or get a 'clicky' sound (unless you want a heavily compressed tone of course).

It's a *very* dynamic instrument because those strings can go as quiet as a guitar string but are capable of a great deal more power than guitar strings. I try and aim for a middle ground, and am starting to relearn. As it is, I would not be anywhere near gig standard.

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What's the transition like to bass from guitar?

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